Chairs or seats have been used by the operators of locomotives ever since the invention of these machines. Of course, with the advent of modern civilization, there is a trend towards more comfort and increased ease of operation while, at the same time, improving the health conditions under which a person is working, in other words, locomotive seats, as such, must be safe, sturdy, easily accessible and otherwise responsive to the needs of the locomotive personnel. This means that a good locomotive seat, should include comfort, adjustability and suitability for the purpose of train operation.
With this in mind, the various associations of locomotive employees have made certain suggestions in regard to the seats which are used in locomotive diesels. One of the main problems is the fact that the sizes and heights of the employees using these seats vary to a certain degree. On the other hand, since the cab of a locomotive diesel is being loaded with controls of all kinds, the operator has to rotate his chair into various positions which should preferably be locked for a certain period of time while making sure that the chair remains in this position. On the other hand, the height of the chair should be adjusted depending on the size of the person and it is of course preferable that the chair remain locked in a particular position representing a selected height.
Up to this date, there have been numerous complaints on the part of the employees due to the fact that it was felt that the design of the chair was not satisfactory in the sense that it was either not comfortable or it is resulted in early fatigue on the part of the employee. Furthermore, in view of the extreme vibrations which take place in the cab of a diesel locomotive, it has not been possible to devise a seat assembly which stays locked in a selected radial or horizontal attitude. Locomotive employees have therefore come up with suggestions and requirements which in their views would fit the ideal seat assembly, but to our knowledge no seat filling these suggestions and requirements has yet been designed.